Toys/Enrichment Item Instructions

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Table of Contents

Thank you for wanting to help the animals at the Friends for Animals of Metro

Detroit (FAMD)! This guide is meant for people looking for additional ways to

help the shelter. If you’d like to join the FAMD Volunteer Program, please visit

MetroDetroitAnimals.org to fill out the online Volunteer Application.

Please email the Volunteer Department with questions at

Volunteers@MetroDetroitAnimals.org.

Donations may be dropped off at the Dearborn Animal Shelter (2661

Greenfield Rd) any time the shelter is open. Please note: animal visiting hours

only begin at 12pm each day.

Monday/Wednesday/Friday: 9am-11am or 12pm-5pm

Tuesday/Thursday: 9am-11am or 12pm-7pm

Saturday: 9am-11am or 12pm-4pm

Sunday: Closed

Water Bottle Dog Feeder………..………..…………………. Page 3

Fleece Rope Dog Toy…………..…….…………...………… Page 4

Pom Pom Toys for Cats………....…………………………… Page 6

Cat Hideaway Tent…………………………………….…….. Page 7

Cork Cat Toys………………………………………….……… Page 8

Knotted Spider Cat Toy……………………………………… Page 9

Paper Roll Cat Toys.....................................................…...Page 10

Ping Pong Patter Cat Toy.……………...………………….. Page 11

Cat Comforter Construction Tips……………....………….Page 12

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Water Bottle Dog Feeder

Dogs in kennels need enrichment opportunities to keep their brain exercised.

One of the ways that this can be accomplished is by providing a challenge

during their feeding.

By providing their food in a water bottle, it provides a challenge to get their

mind working!

Directions:

Collect clean, dry water bottles (preferably 16 oz or 16.9 oz) with the cap.

Remove labels and plastic ring under the cap.

Fill with Pedigree dry dog food. Each bottle will hold approximately 1 cup.

Replace the cap and bring the bottles to the shelter. Bringing them in

boxes will help with storage!

Please label the box with the date the bottles were filled.

Bottles are used in place of a regular feeding. Thank you for making a

difference for our dogs!

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How to Weave a Fleece Rope Dog Toy

Make a sturdy rope toy that's comfortable for you to tug and strong enough for

a dog to chew. Rope toys should be at least two feet long!

Materials Needed

Three 3/4-1 ½ yards pieces of different colored or patterned fleece

Scissors or a rotary cutter

2 rubber bands

Steps:

1. Cut three 4" strips using scissors or a rotary cutter and a

ruler. Note: A 4" strip width will give you a "medium width"

dog toy. If you want it smaller or larger adjust the strip

width.

2. Stack one strip of each color/pattern together.

3. Wrap a rubber band around the edge of the fleece,

about 5" from the end.

4. Braid the three strands together. Tip: The easiest way to

get a tight braid is to hold the rubber band-wrapped

edge between your knees, but you can also tape it or pin

it to a solid work surface.

5. Make sure the braid is nice and tight so it's harder for

the dog to get its teeth through. Make the braid until

there is about 5” left at the bottom to tie a knot.

6. Wrap the second rubber band on the end of the

unbraided fleece.

7. Make a knot that falls in the intersection of the unbraided and braided

section (where the rubber band is located). This keeps the braid tighter.

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8. Cut the rubber band and pull the knot very tight. The tighter the knot the

longer it will last for your dog.

9. Trim both unbraided ends of the bone so they're roughly the same length.

The length of the ends is up to you. The rope made here is trimmed to 3".

10. Fringe the edges by cutting each end of the fleece into strips. (If you have a

strong chewer you may want to skip this step.)

11. If you find the rope is too long you can tie a knot or two in the center.

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Pom Pom Toys for Cats

Pom Pom Toys

Option 1:

Materials:

o Yarn

o Scissors

o Fork (optional)

Directions:

o Wind the yarn around the fork 50-90 times

(or your first three fingers put together)

o Cut a separate piece of yarn about 10cm

long

o Tie the piece of yarn tightly around the

center of the yarn bundled on the fork

(opposite the way you wrapped it). Slip it

off the fork and pull tighter. Knot.

o Take scissors and cut through the loops of

the yarn

o Trim down the ends of the yarn until the

pomp om is a nice round shaped ball

Option 2:

Material:

o Fleece fabric (scrap pieces or small pieces

from other enrichments will work)

o Scissors

Directions:

o Tie two short strips of fleece together in the middle

o Cut loose fabric strips in half to give the pom pom more volume

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Cat Hideaway Tent

Materials Needed

2 wire hangers

Medium T-shirt

Piece of Cardboard (INSERT SIZE).

Wire cutters

Duct tape

4 large safety pins (optional)

Steps:

1. Cut wire hangers just below the twist.

Straighten out hanger corners, then bend wires into an arc shape. Be sure each

wire has relatively the same shape.

2. Poke a hole, about half an inch from the edge in each of the four corners of the

cardboard. This can be done with the end of one of the hangers, a hole

punch, or a knife/box cutter.

3. Insert wire hangers into the cut holes so that the wires cross diagonally.

4. Bend the wire on the bottom of the cardboard so that it lies flat and prevents

the wire from slipping back through. Tape the wires on the bottom.

5. Tape the wires together on the top of the arches where they cross.

6. Pull the t-shirt over the cardboard and

wire hangers, arranging it so that the

hole/entryway is in the correct place.

7. Pull t-shirt sleeves and extra shirt fabric

to the bottom of the cardboard. Use

duct tape or safety pins to secure the t-

shirt and extra fabric to the bottom of

the cardboard.

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Cork Cat Toys

Materials Needed

Wine corks

Stuffing/Trimming (feathers, pipe cleaner, ribbon)

Glue

Scissors or knife

Steps

1. Using the scissors or knife, make a hole about an inch deep into one end of the

cork. Be sure the hole is wide enough by twisting the scissors or knife. If the cork

is too tough, steam or boil the corks for a few minutes to soften them up.

2. Pour glue into the hole in the cork.

3. Gather together feathers, pipe cleaner, and ribbon. Pinch at end to form a

point.

4. Add the pointed end of the stuffing into the hole in the cork.

5. Let glue dry completely.

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Knotted Spider Cat Toy

Materials Needed

Felt or fleece material

Plastic ring from milk container (or string)

Scissors

Steps

1. Cut material into 10-15 pieces that are roughly 5 inches by ½ inch. (Accurate

sizing isn’t important. Cats will love the variety of differing lengths!)

2. If using string (instead of a plastic ring), cut a piece about 5 inches. Use a

double knot to tie the string into a circle.

3. Use double knots to tie felt/fleece pieces onto the plastic ring or string.

4. Be sure all knots are tight and the material is securely attached to the ring.

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Paper Roll Cat Toys

Materials Needed

Cardboard roll from paper towel or toilet paper

Scissors

Pen/marker (optional)

Ruler (optional)

EASY RING TOY

Use a ruler of your finger to make ¼ inch (or finger width) marks along the side of the

roll. Cut out rings with scissors. Give rings to cats to toss around and enjoy!

EASY RING BALL

To make a slightly more interesting toy, use the rings from the

instructions above (Easy Ring Toy) to make a ball. Insert one

ring into another, so they cross. Insert 2-3 more rings to form a

complete ball.

SUNBURST TOY

Use scissors to cut into each end of the roll, creating fringes.

Fold the fringes out to create the sunburst look.

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Ping Pong Patter Cat Toy

Materials Needed

Ping Pong ball

Pipe cleaners

Scissors/small box cutter

Markers (optional)

Steps:

1. Use the scissors/small box cutter to punch two holes in opposite sides of

the pin pong ball.

2. String the pipe cleaner through the holes/pin pong ball.

3. Draw designs on the ping pong ball (optional).

**Get creative! You can punch multiple holes or use multiple pipe cleaners! **

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Cat Comforter Construction Tips

“Oh, this feels so good!” We try to keep the precious pets

under our care as comfortable as possible during their stay

with us. Research shows that cats remain more content if

they are surrounded by familiar smells and of course, a

cushy bed. Our Cat Comforters are made by caring

volunteers and each kitty gets their own (if we have

enough). When they go to their forever home, a comforter

goes with them. We’ve found that this significantly helps to

ease their transition to a new environment.

Making the Comforters is fun and easy. The recommended size is 18” x 24”, but you

can also make them larger. You can sew, tie, knit and crochet, and you can choose

any fabric or yarn. These are just a sample of possible construction tips. Also, make

sure to wash fabric first to preshrink it and to avoid misshapen comforters from

occurring when put in the laundry.

Really Easy Sewing with Fleece

Materials

• 2 pieces of fleece, each 18” x 24”

• Matching thread

• Scissors

Directions

1. Cut the fleece into 2 pieces, and lay the

pieces on top of each other.

2. Measure about 2 ½” from the edge and stitch

all the way around with sewing machine.

3. Cut about a 2 ½” square from each corner

4. Cut the edges all around to make fringe.

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Easy No-Sew Fleece

Materials

• 2 pieces of fleece, 21” x 27”

• Scissors

Directions

1. Cut the 2 pieces of fleece and lay

them flat.

2. Cut a 3” square out of each corner.

3. Cut fringe all the way around, 3”

deep and 1” wide.

4. Tie the fringe together using a

double knot to join the pieces of

fleece together.

Easy No-Sew Fleece with Batting

Follow the directions above for the no-sew fleece comforter.

1. Tie the fringe together on 3 sides of the comforter, leaving one side open.

2. Use fiber fill and put enough in the comforter to make it soft. Be careful not to

overstuff it.

3. Tie the fringe together to close the comforter.

Easy Sewing with Batting

Materials

• Any type of fabric

• Matching thread

• 1 piece of batting, 25” x 20”

Directions

1. Cut a fabric rectangle approximately, 50” x 20”

2. Fold fabric in half.

3. Place a 25 x 20 piece of batting on top of fabric

4. Pin fabric, wrong side together, and place batting on top.

5. Sew 3 sides together.

6. Trim seams, turn right side.

7. Hand stitch opening closed.

8. Top stitch one inch from seam to hold batting in place.

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Easy Knitted Cat Comforter

Materials

• Size 13 needles

• 4 ply yarn

Directions

*Knit with 2 strands together to make the comforter sturdier.

1. Loosely cast on 76 stitches.

2. Knit each row until you have the desired size, approximately 18” x 24”.

3. Cast off.

Easy Crocheted Cat Comforter

Materials

• Size 9 crochet needle, a larger crochet hook will create a softer comforter

• 4 ply yarn

Directions

*Crochet with 2 strands of yarn to make the

comforter sturdier.

1. Chain 75 plus one chain to turn.

2. Single crochet first row.

3. Continue with single crochet or double

crochet each additional row until you

reach the desired size, 18” x 24”.

4. Close loop.

Experienced Crafters

For more experienced crafters, feel free to create your own pattern.

Just a couple of reminders:

• Approximate size, 18” x 24”, finished comforter

• Double strand yarn to make each comforter stronger